1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for and methods of producing hydrocarbons from subterranean formations. In another aspect, the present invention relates to apparatus for and methods of producing hydrocarbons from subterranean formations utilizing hydraulic fracturing. In even another aspect, the present invention relates to apparatus for and methods of producing hydrocarbons from subterranean formations by hydraulic fracturing utilizing controlled azumith perforating.
In the production of hydrocarbons from subterranean formations, it has been a long standing practice to hydraulically fracture the formation from a well bore to enhance the flow of hydrocarbons from the formation into the well bore.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the completion of wells drilled into the earth, a string of casing is normally run into the well and a cement slurry is flowed into the annulus between the casing string and the wall of the well. The cement slurry is allowed to set and form a cement sleeve which bonds the string casing to the wall of the well. Perforations are provided through the casing and cement plane adjacent to subsurface formation. Fluids, such as oil or gas, are produced through these perforations into the well.
However, the productivity or injectivity of a well bore and fluid communication with the subterranean hydrocarbon bearing formation may be undesirably low due to a number of causes, including low permeability of the formation rock, placement of casing cement, plugging by previously injected materials, clay damage, or produced fluid damage.
Fracturing treatments are usually performed soon after the formation interval to be produced is completed, that is, soon after fluid communication between the wall and the reservoir interval established. Wells are also sometimes fractured for the purpose of stimulating production after significant depletion of the reservoir. Hydraulic fracturing generally entails injecting a fluid into the well bore at a sufficient rate and pressure to overcome the tensile strength of the formation and the over burden pressure. The injected fluid creates cracks or fractures extending from the well bore out into the formation which are usually propped open with a solid proppant entrained in the fluid. The fractures permit the flow of hydrocarbons and other fluids into or out of the well bore.
In recent years, hydraulic fracturing applications from bore holes and geological formations have expanded dramatically to meet the needs of such emerging technologies as in situ, horizontal completion of oil gas wells, methane gas mining, and non-explosive rock demolition. Years ago, hydraulic fracturing was characterized by a generation of randomly oriented fractures and mere propping or extending of existing cracks or partings. Increasingly, success of a hydraulic fracturing job is dependent upon control of hydraulic fracture origin and orientation. In some applications, hydraulic fractures must originate at a specific location along the length of a bore hole. In other applications, hydraulic fractures must run with a specified orientation to the local geological structure, the bore hole from which they originate, or some other structure.
It has been recognized from some time that the propagation of a fracture in an earth formation proceeds generally in a plane which is normal to the direction of the minimum principal stress existing in the formation. In a majority of cases, in deep well bores, the direction of this stress is horizontal and, accordingly, the fracture is a generally vertical propagating fracture in a plane perpendicular to the minimum stress. In certain shallow wells, depending on formation characteristics, the fracture may propagate in a generally horizontal plane if the compressive stresses are greater in the horizontal rather than in the vertical direction.
It is desirable that the hydraulic fracture remains within the hydrocarbon bearing formation and does not extend vertically into adjacent overlying and/or underlying non-hydrocarbon bearing formations or strata. Maintaining the hydraulic fracture within the hydrocarbon bearing formation or strata results in gaining the maximum enhancement and productivity and avoiding the formation of a connection from the well bore hole to formations likely to yield water to the producing well thereby diluting or even displacing the hydrocarbons flowing into the well. When the fracture propagates, usually generally vertically, into such overlying or underlying non-producing or water bearing horizons, in the worst case, the well may become non-productive and a new well will have to be drilled. Even in less damaging circumstances, the well may be much less productive than the anticipated enhancement would call for. In situations where the overlying or underlying strata will not produce water, it is still undesirable to propagate the fracture into such strata because the expenditures for creating the fracture will have been largely wasted on non-productive formations.
The key to directional hydraulic fracturing is to restrict pressurized fluids and their egress to the desired fracturing plane so that tensile stresses are concentrated in the desired fracturing plane and the tensile strength of the geologic formation is exceeded and only the desired fracturing plane.
Applicant notes that in many commercial hydraulic fracturing operations, a perforation gun will have, spaced spirally around the gun per foot of gun, either four perforating holes spaced 90 degrees apart or six holes spaced 60 degrees apart. Such a gun will make perforations into the formation 360 degrees into the formation at either 90 or 60 degree intervals. For a reservoir that is relatively horizontal, such a perforation gunning procedure is adequate for hydraulic fracturing. However, in those instances in which the dip of the reservoir is not horizontal, perforations in a direction that is not perpendicular to the dip of the reservoir, may cut across more than one subterranean strata.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,719, issued Jan. 13, 1987 to Zoback, et al, discloses a method for hydraulic fracture propagation in hydrocarbon-bearing formations in which it was discovered that the least horizontal principal compressive stress, S.sub.3 of a formation or strata, and therefore the required hydraulic fracture pressure, can be predicted based upon a maximum principal compressive stress, the pore fluid pressure, and the co-efficient friction of the formation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,115, issued Dec. 22, 1987 to Uhri, discloses a hydraulic fracturing of a shallow subsurface formation for propagating a vertical fracture in an earth formation surrounding a borehole when the original insitu stresses favor a horizontal fracture. In this method, the case borehole is perforated at a pair of spaced apart intervals to form a pair of sets of perforations. Fracturing fluid is then initially pumped down the cased borehole and out of one of the sets of perforations to form the favored horizontal fracture. The propagation of this horizontal fracture changes the insitu stresses so as to favor the propagation of a vertical fracture. Thereafter, while maintaining pressure on the horizontal fracture, fracturing fluid is pumped down the case borehole and out of the other of the sets of perforations to form the newly favored vertical fracture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,359, issued Dec. 24, 1991 to Schmidt discloses a hydraulic fracturing method for earth formations which are penetrated by included well bores when the near well bore region which exhibits the maximum tensile stress in response to hydraulic pressure in the well bore is determined, and cased well bores are perforated at the point of maximum tensile stress resulting from fracture initiation. As disclosed, the fracture is subsequently propagated and propped open by proppant-laden fluids having progressively increasing proppant concentrations so that the near well bore region of the fracture is held propped open to maintain sufficient conductivity between the main fracture body and the well bore. As another important aspect of the invention, the location of the maximum tensile stress and the formation to be seen during fracture initiation is determined using an improved method of referencing the particular point on the well bore with respect to the highest point on the well bore at which a perforation is to be provided, in a case of case well bores. Such particular point will provide for initiation of a fracture which will turn at the lowest rate into the vertical fracture plane which is perpendicular to the minimum insitu horizontal stress, thereby providing a propped region which is less likely to forcibly reclose than in fractures which are initiated in more highly stress regions of the well bore. This fracturing technique coupled with the injection of propant materials in such a way that the fracture will screen out at the outer reaches of the fracture with respect to the well bore assures that the fracture will not reclose in a region directly adjacent to the well bore.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,195, issued Dec. 13, 1994 to Swanson, et al, discloses a method for directional hydraulic fracturing using borehole seals to confine pressurized fluid in planar permeable regions. As disclosed, the device contains a planar region into which fluids may be pumped, and high pressure tubing, and a sealant, with the planar region located between a bore hole, a sealant and an injection tube and positioned in the plane of the intended fracture. The injection tube is in communication with both the device that forms a permeable planar region and a pump so that a pressured fluid such as pressurized water can be introduced into the permeable planar region for purposes of directional hydraulic fracturing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,116, issued Jan. 9, 1996 to El-Rabaa et al, discloses a well bore guided hydraulic fracturing method which includes drilling a deviated well bore in a direction parallel to a desired fracture direction, and supplying fracturing fluid through the well bore to the formation. The invention also contemplates incrementally propagating the fracture still further beyond the downhole end of the well bore by monitoring the propagation of the fracture beyond the end of the well bore, and performing repeating fracturing steps after the fracture is at a maximum distance beyond the end of the well bore. However, the steps may also be repeated after the fracture curves to a direction parallel to the direction of the high permeability trend of the formation, whereby local insitu stresses are altered after the fractured curves.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,703, issued May 7, 1996 to Mills et al, discloses methods and apparatus for perforating and treating production zones and otherwise performing related activities within a well as disclosed, a plurality of perforating assemblies containing shaped charges are connected as part of casing liner which is lowered into a well bore and then anchored therein by a column of cement in the annulus between the liner and bore to locate the assemblies opposite zones in a horizontal section of the well. Work strings are lowered into selected assemblies to cause tools carried thereby to sequentially detonate the shaped charges to perforate the zone opposite hereto and to selectively open or close the perforated zones by shifting a sleeve within a housing of the assembly as well as treating the perforated zones.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,499, issued Oct. 15, 1996 to Willis, et al, discloses a method and device for slotting well casing and scoring surrounding rock to facilitate hydraulic fractures the method generally includes creating apertures in well casings which comprises exploding one or more linear charges in the installed well casing. In a preferred variation, the method is employed in an incline well, where it well profoundly affect the initiation of fractures during the hydraulic fracturing step.
However, in spite of these advancements in the prior art, none of these prior art references disclose or suggest methods or apparatus for suitably hydraulic fracturing a reservoir having a dip that is not horizontal.
Thus, these is still a need for improvements to the prior art methods and apparatus for hydraulic fracturing.
There is another need in the art for methods of and apparatus for hydraulically fracturing reservoirs having a dip that is not horizontal.
These and other needs in the art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this specification, including its drawings and claims.